07 October 2014

I have two things for you today: a great meal-in-one recipe and the winner of my Red Gold apron giveaway. I'll start with the recipe, so scroll down to find out the giveaway winner.

This is one of those convenient one-pot meals. Well, it can be. I made the rice separately, but if you want to do it all together, just pick up some Ready Rice. I don't use that stuff very often, because I am home a lot and have no excuse not to make my own brown rice, but I like to keep a package or two on hand for rice "emergencies". It can be your best friend on those super busy weeknights when you only have a few minutes to get dinner on the table. (No, this post is not sponsored by Uncle Ben's; I just like that rice!) My kids absolutely love brown rice, so we have it at least once a week, if not twice. They also love sausage, so I thought this dish would be a big hit with them. It's adapted from Cooking Light.

Sausage, Spinach, and Brown Rice Skillet

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil

½ large onion, chopped

1 lb. ground sausage

6 cups fresh baby spinach, torn into pieces

1 tomato, chopped

3 cups brown rice (homemade, or 2 pouches Ready Rice)

½ tsp garlic powder

1 tsp smoked paprika

Directions:

Heat the oil over medium-low heat in a large skillet. Sauté onion until it softens. Add the sausage and cook over medium-high heat, breaking it up with a spoon, until it is no longer pink. Add the spinach and the tomato, stirring until spinach is wilted. Stir in brown rice and season with garlic powder and smoked paprika. Cook another minute or so, stirring constantly to make sure everything is evenly distributed.

Makes 4 servings.

I was right; my kids loved this recipe. They aren't huge fans of spinach, but they tolerated it in this dish. I left out the Parmesan, and I thought it needed a little something for color. I had some vine-ripened tomatoes in my produce basket, so I chopped one up and threw it in there. That was a great addition, not only for the color, but it also added a punch of brightness and acidity. Worked out really well.

Speaking of tomatoes, it's now time for me to announce the winner of my Red Gold apron giveaway.